A microvascular myocardial infarction in a 16-year-old girl with antiphospholipid syndrome: a case report

ABSTRACT

Objective and importance: The antiphospholipid syndrome can manifest itself by silent (or not) myocardial infarction.

Clinical presentation: We report the case of a 16-year-old girl who presented a myocardial infarction for whom a coronary-computer tomography did not reveal any coronary abnormalities or obstruction. She had a livedo reticularis on her physical exam.

Intervention: The echocardiography showed a normal left ventricular function and a mild eccentric mitral regurgitation. A myocardial magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated transmural necrosis with microvascular obstruction at the inferobasal segment of the left ventricle, suggestive of a microvascular myocardial infarction. The blood test showed elevation of the three antiphospholipid antibodies (lupus anticoagulant, anticardiolipin, and anti-β2-glycoprotein). The lupus anticoagulant remained positive 12 weeks later, fulfilling the laboratory criteria for antiphospolipid carrier. The associated presence of this microvascular coronary obstruction was strongly suggestive of antiphospholipd syndrome, according to the revised Sapporo criteria.

To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of antiphospholipid syndrome manifesting as an acute microvascular myocardial infarction, confirmed by myocardial magnetic resonance imaging.

Conclusion: The antiphospholipid syndrome can manifest itself early by a microvascular myocardial infarction. The clinician has to be alerted by a livedo reticularis in these patients, which will be frequently associated with manifestations of antiphospholipid syndrome such as arterial thrombosis and valvulopathies.

KEYWORDS:

• Microvascular myocardial infarction
• antiphospholipid syndrome
• livedo reticularis
• myocardial magnetic resonance imaging

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.